A man accused of a £10,000 Lakes car park ticket machine cash theft told a jury: "I have never stolen anything in my life."

Harvey Davidson, 30, is on trial at Carlisle Crown Court, where he denies stealing almost £10,400 cash from ticket machines at the Grizedale and Whinlatter forest park sites.

The thefts are said to have taken place between October 2013, and June the following year, when Davidson was employed by the Forestry Commission, which owned all of the ticket machines.

It has been alleged by the prosecution that Davidson was the "chief suspect" for the thefts, which are said to have occurred on almost 40 separate occasions.

The court heard this was because he had previously emptied the machines as part of his job, and knew where the "unique" sets of keys which operated each was kept.

On day two of the trial yesterday (TUES) jurors were given a breakdown of each alleged theft.

On some of these occasions, the court heard, Davidson's vehicle was logged in the Grizedale area on number plate recognition equipment.

At a number of other times, Davidson's mobile phone was said to have been "cell-sited" near the Grizedale and Whinlatter forest sites.

Jurors heard that he was quizzed by police following his arrest in June, 2014.

Davidson admitted he had been shown how to open and empty the machines when that task had been carried out by the Forestry Commission. He had, he admitted, been "quite familiar" with the process.

But at the time of the alleged thefts that job was carried out exclusively by an external contractor.

And Davidson told police that as a result "there is no reason for me to touch" the ticket machines.

Davidson was also confronted with the mobile phone analysis and number plate evidence. He said he regularly travelled around the Lakes to carry out private work outside his Forestry Commission commitments and went on nights out in the area.

Other people, Davidson said, had permission to use his Peugeot car, and others might also have used two mobile phones in his possession.

Davidson, of Portland Square, Workington, took to the stand yesterday in his defence.

His barrister, Philip Andrews, asked whether he had ever stolen money from any ticket machines.

Davidson replied: "I can categorically say I have never stolen anything in my life."

The trial continues.